In mining, it is generally an objective to transport fragmented material being mined by a cutting or mining device from a mining location, for example in a mining shaft under-ground, to a dispose location, for example a dump or a further conveyor inside or outside the mining shaft. Usually, a mining device, such as a drill, releases the drilled material in a fragmented form to a conveyor device, preferably a conveyor belt, through which the material is conveyed away from the mining location to a dispose location. At the dispose location, the material is usually disposed from the conveyor device. Since the path from mining location to dispose location will not always be straight an even, it is necessary to provide a mechanism to compensate for changes in direction of the conveyor belt.
Document US 2013/0334864 A1, for example, discloses a foldable conveyor to be used as part of a transport machine. The foldable conveyor has a first conveyor section and a second conveyor section pivotally connected to it, such as to pivot in an upward and downward direction relative to a substantially horizontal ground level by means of a complex pivoting mechanism. A disadvantage of this arrangement is its lack in flexibility and modularity, as the pivoting mechanism is permanently provided for a single application, and its complexity of said pivoting mechanism.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,452 A discloses an articulated mobile conveyor. The mobile conveyor includes a first section having first and second ends that are provided at a certain length from each other, a second section having first and second ends that are provided at a certain length from each other, and a ball joint that is connecting the second end of the first section to the first end of the second section for pivotal movement about a vertical and a horizontal axis. A disadvantage of this arrangement is also its lack in flexibility and, furthermore, in stability.